


fool me once

by cadyjanis



Series: jaren [7]
Category: Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Kissing, Post-Canon, Reunions, Romance, Some Humor, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-04-06 01:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19052872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cadyjanis/pseuds/cadyjanis
Summary: janis goes for her mouth then, but karen is quick, unexpectedly pulling back to put her finger where her lips should be.“nope,” is all she says, and worms her way out from under janis’s arm. “no more.”—karen thinks it’s fun to play hard to get.





	fool me once

**Author's Note:**

> this is a little different from what i usually write, but i hope y’all enjoy ♡
>
>> **trigger warnings:**   
>  anxiety attacks

There is not a moment of her life where Janis isn’t thinking about kissing Karen.

 

That’s the first thing she’s going to do as soon as she gets there. Hop out of the truck, run right to her, and give her a smooch to make up for all the ones neither of them got during the five-day wait to be reunited.

 

Janis knows they have it easier than many long-distance couples, with only an hour to drive in order to be together. But that doesn’t make patience any less hard.

 

After the week she’s had, Janis wants nothing more than to go home with Karen and make out in her basement as they watch a scary movie.

 

Yes, they’re _that_ stereotypical pair, but Janis likes it when Karen snuggles closer to her until the prospect of kissing is far more entertaining than whoever’s getting butchered onscreen.

 

Janis has to pull herself out of that daydream to keep her truck from veering off the road. With a wistful sigh, she turns up the radio for background noise, and checks the map on her phone after reaching a stoplight. She’s relieved to see there’s only ten more miles to go, and lets Karen know she’ll be in the parking lot.

 

Evidently bored in class, Karen responds right away, with lots of exclamation points and happy emojis. Her shared enthusiasm alone is worth the distance.

 

Despite having already done this countless times, Janis’s heart still thumps as she finds a spot to park outside Karen’s college. She goes to community school alongside some of their friends from North Shore, and Janis is glad she has familiar faces to see every day. Janis adjusted well to university, but misses Damian and Cady, wishing they could experience the bizarre journey of college together.

 

Damian got into a school in New York while Cady is actually taking a year off to spend time with Aaron and travel a little. They all keep in touch, of course, but it’s weird not being able to be near each other whenever they want. Janis is grateful she gets to come home to her girlfriend and parents every week, otherwise she wouldn’t know how to motivate herself.

 

Making new friends is proving to be harder than waiting to see Karen again. But Janis doesn’t want to dwell on that when good things are happening today. She can go back to being lonely in her dorm with a cup of ramen on Monday.

 

Karen’s last class ends at three, and she sends Janis the running lady emoji to signify it’s over. When Janis sees her walk out the front doors, she squeals—a sound she saves just for Karen—and leaps out of her truck. Karen’s perpetually sunshiny face mirrors her smile as she spots her in return, and meets her halfway on the sidewalk, jumping into her arms like a puzzle piece finding its mate.

 

It’s the same reunion as last Friday, and will be the next one, and the one after that, and the one after _that_ , but it’ll never get old. Joy like this just doesn’t expire.

 

“I missed you so muuuch!” Karen exclaims when Janis lets her down, finally able to express her agreement by grabbing her face and kissing her. Karen laughs against her mouth and her hands grasp Janis’s wrists as if to keep her there.

 

They’re in a decent enough area that they can kiss in public and nobody bothers them. It’s just them, anyway, at least it feels like it. Time and other people don’t exist in their space.

 

As for the kiss, it was worth the wait. Janis hauls Karen back to her truck before either of them get carried away, and Karen steals another as Janis revs the engine. Driving with Karen is kind of dangerous solely because of how good Karen always looks, and today is no different, since she’s wearing _short_ shorts and her “s-e-x-y” ankle bracelet and a tank top that plainly shows off her lacy white bra under it.

 

Karen wants Taco Bell, so they go to the drive thru despite it briefly interrupting Janis’s plan to head straight home and live out her fantasy in her basement. The additional secondary hold-up is fine, though, because Karen is adorable and Janis is endeared by how happy she is eating her taco. They talk about their day as they sit in the parking lot, windows down.

 

“Oh, did I tell you this guy asked me out the other day?” Karen asks, making it sound like it’s not a big deal, but Janis nearly chokes on her soda.

 

“Huh?” she coughs, a rush of protectiveness rising up inside her.

 

“Yeah.” Karen nods, eyes wide, chewing placidly. “He was cool, it wasn’t like he cornered me. He just came up to me after class and was like, ‘Hey, would you wanna get dinner sometime?’ and I was totally scream face emoji.” She doesn’t appear too shaken now, phrasing it as if it’s funny in retrospect. “So yeah.”

 

Janis purses her lips, drumming her nails against the outside of her cup. “Hm,” she eventually grunts, not wanting to come off as being suspiciously possessive. “What’d you say?”

 

“Oh.” Karen tosses her ponytail over her shoulder. “I said thanks but I already have a date. For, like, always.” Her eyes flicker over to Janis playfully, and Janis relaxes, feeling both proud and a little smug. Yes, she’s Karen’s date. And Karen is hers.

 

“He took it well?” she has to inquire, just in case she has to kick someone’s ass. She’s definitely not afraid to defend Karen’s honor.

 

Karen nods reassuringly. “Oh, yeah. He said okay and that was that.” She finishes her taco then looks at Janis with an impish smile. “Aw, were you gonna get all mad?”

 

Janis snorts. “No. Not unless he did,” she admits, and Karen makes this cute face. “I just worry about you, is all.”

 

“Don’t worry about meee,” Karen insists, leaning over to kiss her cheek, then her shoulder. Janis shivers, and Karen gives her the dignity of pretending not to notice. “I can handle myself.”

 

Janis knows that, but she’s an inherently, fiercely protective friend and partner. If anyone gave Karen a hard time for any reason, she’d blow a gasket. Karen shouldn’t have to deal with creepy, entitled guys. It’s sad that she got lucky that time.

 

Janis turns her head towards her, and Karen scrunches her nose and pecks her cheek again. Not satisfied with that, Janis pulls her back with an arm around her neck, tilting her head up so she can bite at the blonde’s throat, and Karen gasps in surprise at her boldness.

 

“You’re mine,” Janis whispers, trailing her lips up to Karen’s chin and along her jaw. “Okay?”

 

Nevermind. She wants to be possessive.

 

“Okay,” Karen squeaks, breathless but grinning. “I’m yours.”

 

“Mhm.” Janis goes for her mouth then, but Karen is quick, unexpectedly pulling back to put her finger where her lips should be.

 

“Nope,” is all she says, and worms her way out from under Janis’s arm. “No more.”

 

Janis blinks, caught off-guard. “Sorry, what?”

 

Karen tightens her ponytail and buckles her seatbelt again. “I want ice cream,” she tells her, and has the audacity to steal the rest of Janis’s Coke. Janis gapes at her, head spinning from what she thought was a perfectly sexy and enjoyable moment.

 

“Ice cream?” she repeats, dazed and confused. Karen snickers at her.

 

“Yup. I want dessert,” she reiterates.

 

“Kare, you just ate two whole tacos and a whole thing of fries,” Janis points out, stunned.

 

Karen shrugs. “Yeah. And now I want soft-serve.”

 

They have a mini staring contest for a solid thirty seconds, and once Janis’s head clears, she is slightly annoyed—not really at Karen, just the realization her dream make-out session is going to be put on hold further.

 

“Okay, fine,” she concedes. “But what does that have to do with me kissing you?”

 

Karen smiles so sweet and innocent, but Janis narrows her eyes. “Just think of it as a rewards system,” Karen says optimistically. “I get ice cream, you get a kiss.”

 

Heaving a sigh, resigned to whatever game Karen is playing, Janis turns the key. “Why do I feel like there’s gonna be a loophole somehow?”

 

* * *

 

Janis’s intuition was right, of course.

 

After sitting on a bench outside the shop to watch Karen lap kind of erotically at her ice cream, Janis musters the courage to say, bracing herself for disappointment, “Sooo, a kiss?”

 

Karen pops the last of the cone into her mouth and gives Janis another sideways look. “Dunno,” she confesses. “Maybe.”

 

Janis resists the urge to throw her hands up in exasperation. “Maybe?”

 

“You be patient,” Karen chastises, and Janis raises her eyebrows, taken aback at being the one told what to do. Karen giggles at her aghast reaction.

 

“You said, and I quote, ‘I get ice cream, you get a kiss,’” Janis reminds her, poking her in the arm. “You got your ice cream. Now I want my damn kiss.” She folds her arms and pouts, slouching on the bench like a petulant toddler. Karen studies her for a long moment, contemplating her next move like it’s a game of chess.

 

Since it’s so hard, it may as well be. But Janis doesn’t like losing.

 

“I did say that,” Karen confirms with a little nod. “But now I don’t feel like kissing you.”

 

Janis inhales like she’s been stabbed. It would hurt less. “Rude,” she argues, genuinely stung. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

 

Karen shrugs. “We can’t be horny all the time, Jan.”

 

Janis snorts. “Says you, missy,” she teases, bumping her knee to Karen’s, who takes a second to process the insult. Then she makes an affronted sound and leaps up from the bench to strut away. Laughing, Janis quickly follows her, catching up to hug her from behind, but she resists, elbowing Janis in the gut to force her to let her go, and Janis groans.

 

“That was mean,” Karen whines as Janis rubs her stomach.

 

“Babe, I’m kidding,” Janis assures swiftly, not laughing anymore. “I wasn’t—I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t referencing high school.”

 

Karen toes the sidewalk with her sneaker. “You weren’t?”

 

“No.” Janis shakes her head, semi panicking on the inside. The last thing she ever wants to do is hurt Karen’s feelings, or unintentionally shame her for however much sex she had before they started dating. And she really wasn’t talking about that—she meant the amount of time the two of them have spent together.

 

“I was talking about us, I swear,” Janis insists, and Karen lets her take her hands. “I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful. But I’m not, like, slut-shaming you. I was just teasing.”

 

“Mkay.” Karen can’t help but smile then, and Janis smiles back, relieved she’s so forgiving. She’s even more relieved when Karen rises up on her toes, only to whisper against her mouth, “You’re definitely not getting any kisses now, though.”

 

Giggling, she tears her hands away and skips back the way they came, leaving Janis in a stupor of regret and frustration.

 

“Right,” Janis grumbles when she climbs back into the truck beside Karen, already waiting. “So, Kare, what do I have to do now in order to make this up to you?”

 

“Hmmm.” Karen taps her chin thoughtfully. If she asks for more food, Janis might actually die. But lucky for her—as lucky as she can be today—Karen ultimately says, in the most suggestive tone imaginable, “Take me shopping.”

 

Janis has to lean her head on the steering wheel for a minute, then sighs. “The mall?”

 

“Yeah, silly,” Karen says shrewdly, tickling under Janis’s chin.

 

* * *

 

It doesn’t come as a surprise to Janis when Karen drags her directly to Victoria’s Secret, though it is shocking how they surpass the place that sells fresh-baked cookies.

 

She was hoping Karen would get distracted and forget. But, alas, here they are, hand-in-hand as they enter the store. Janis is immediately uncomfortable, reminded of the times as a child she would hastily look away from the models in the windows, especially if she was with Regina, her heart pounding inexplicably.

 

And maybe, just maybe, she still feels guilty for being in here, for glancing at the pictures of the gorgeous and scantily clad women, for finding them attractive.

 

She can suck it up. She’s doing this for Karen.

 

And so she follows her around, averting her eyes from the advertising and focusing on what her girlfriend shows her and offering her honest opinion. Karen deliberately stops to look at almost everything, knowing she has Janis wrapped around her finger. Janis tries to detach herself from it enough that she won’t run for safety, but it’s a challenge the longer they’re here.

 

She didn’t know this would unsettle her, which makes it that much worse. She can list every last one of Damian’s triggers in her head, and remembers the type of stuff that upsets Cady. But she never once considered to think of herself, having assumed now that high school is over she can be partially free of those demons.

 

But Regina George is still present in her life, even in ways either of them are unaware of. This, apparently, is a trigger, a big fat pink trigger that reminds Janis of things she really would rather not dwell on right now, while she’s supposed to be having fun with Karen.

 

She puts her hands on Karen’s hips and lightly kisses her shoulder before heading back to the entrance, walking out and going over to a nearby sitting area in front of a fountain. She finds an empty bench and sits, catching her breath like she just ran a marathon. Hurts like it, too.

 

“Janis?” Karen comes jogging up a second later, not having hesitated to follow her. “What is it? What happened?” She sits down beside her fretfully.

 

“I’m fine,” Janis chokes out, wishing she’d said she was just going to the bathroom.

 

“No you’re not, you’re shaking,” Karen protests, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her. “You ran out so fast, what’s wrong?”

 

Janis digs the heels of her hands into her eyes, still winded. Karen stops asking questions once she realizes Janis literally can’t speak, and sits there quietly, likely wondering what it is she can do. Janis never has panic attacks or anxiety around her—this is the first time anything like this has happened, so Karen is clueless as to what to say or do to help.

 

But Janis appreciates the silence, because it gives her time to figure out how to breathe again. It’s not a full-blown panic episode, but maybe that’s only because they’re in public and _because_ Karen is here, stroking her back and hair. That’s more helpful than anything else, Janis thinks, and is gradually able to sit up. Karen remains quiet, trying not to directly stare at Janis’s face to make it less embarrassing.

 

Regina’s not here, Janis tells herself. She’s with Karen, and she’s nineteen years old, not eleven. The store itself can’t hurt her and there’s nothing wrong with her for so much as looking at the bikini-clad girls on the posters. It doesn’t matter. It’s okay.

 

Her chest hurts, but she’s not going to cry, afraid she’d freak Karen out further.

 

So maybe it’s a good thing she’s not in the bathroom, otherwise she would be crying alone.

 

“Sorry,” she rasps, hand on Karen’s thigh, squeezing just to reassure her. Karen takes her fingers and squeezes back, shaking her head.

 

“Don’t be,” she says softly. “Are you okay now? What happened?”

 

“I’m fine,” Janis repeats, but isn’t entirely sure if she is, and that’s okay, too. “Um. I dunno, Kare.” She’s a good liar when it’s anybody else, but Karen knows her voice by now. If she can detect if Janis had a bad day just over the phone, she clearly isn’t going to believe her here.

 

“Just—” Janis closes her eyes, inhaling to soothe her stomach. “Regina, I guess. Being in there, it reminded me of stuff.”

 

“Oh.” Karen stiffens, apprehensive at the mention of the best friend they once shared. She goes to say something, probably ask for specifics, then realizes that’s not going to be beneficial. So instead she scoots closer and says, “We can leave.”

 

“No, it’s fine,” Janis responds, not as chipper as she’d like to be.

 

“It’s not,” Karen counters gently. “Let’s just go. Running lady emoji times two.”

 

That makes Janis laugh, and Karen smiles. Janis raises their linked hands to kiss her knuckles, and Karen leans her head on her shoulder.

 

“Are you sure?” Janis has to ask, even though she really wants nothing more than to leave Old Orchard Mall and put as much distance between it and her as possible.

 

Karen nods. “Mhm. I don’t want you to be upset.”

 

“But our shopping trip hasn’t been fulfilled,” Janis replies, half-jokingly. “Will I still get a kiss?”

 

“Yeah, duh.” Karen rolls her eyes. “I _suppose_ I can make an exception.”

 

Which means something along the lines of _as soon as we get home, you’ll get all the kisses you deserve._ With that in mind, they leave the mall, hands still intertwined.

 

* * *

 

Karen drives now, taking them to Janis’s house. Janis’s nausea ebbs the further away from the mall they get, and admires the sunset through the windshield to take her mind off of it. There’s not much talking, the only voices coming from the radio.

 

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Janis is compelled to say at some point, guilty for what happened earlier and in the mall.

 

Karen is shocked she’s apologizing. “You didn’t. I was just confused. But I’m glad you’re okay. We don’t have to go back there. Like, bikini emoji, I can just buy stuff online.”

 

Janis is glad Karen doesn’t seem put off or annoyed, and appreciates the alternative to bringing her into the store. Her relief doubles when Karen turns onto the Sarkisians’ street, and the tree in the front yard weirdly brings her to tears. It feels like she hasn’t been home in a million years when she was just here a few days ago.

 

Her mom steps out onto the front porch as Karen parks in the driveway, and their pitbull comes fumbling down the steps to greet Janis, leaping on her as she exits the truck. She hugs him on the ground as Karen greets Mrs. Sarkisian, a little family reunited.

 

Her dad comes out to carry her suitcase, and Quincy leads the way back inside, wagging his tail and barking at Janis as if to say, “Come look at everything that’s exactly the same as it was the last time you were home.”

 

Like seeing Karen every week, coming home is the same feeling. It never gets old.

 

After the initial hugs and hellos and catching up chats have been exchanged, Janis’s parents let the girls head down to the basement for privacy. Janis tugs off her boots and lands face first on the couch, groaning in sheer delight at the smell alone.

 

Her dorm just lacks what her basement has.

 

“What movie?” Karen asks, rifling through the aging cassette tapes with a mildly bewildered yet determined look on her face.

 

“You pick,” Janis hums, pulling the quilt off the back of the sofa, chilled.

 

Karen casts her a careful glance. “We can watch something funny. In case you’re not up for a scary movie,” she tells her, and for once Janis feels obligated to turn down horror.

 

Recalling her friendship with Regina was scary enough.

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” she sighs. “Whatever is fine.”

 

Karen eventually finds something, and joins Janis after putting in the tape. How the VCR works even after twenty years is a mystery.

 

Karen chose _The Princess Bride_ , because why wouldn’t she, and snuggles up to Janis like this is all she wanted, too. Janis runs her nails softly over Karen’s arm, content to just sit here despite it not being her original plan. Any time spent with Karen is good.

 

She thinks Karen has dozed off when she feels a press of lips to her jaw, an innocent reminder she’s not alone down here.

 

She taps Karen on the nose. “Hello to you, too.”

 

Karen huffs a laugh, arms around Janis’s waist. “Do you want your kiss now?”

 

“I would _love_ my kiss,” Janis approves, and Karen grins like a dope, leaning up slightly to oblige. It’s a soft, slow, lazy kiss, the opposite of what Janis hoped for, but perfect all the same.

 

“I had a good day,” Karen sighs in between kisses.

 

“Me too,” Janis agrees, wondering how this could get any better. But it doesn’t have to, because it’s pretty amazing as it is. She’s lucky to have a girlfriend who cares and who is always just as excited to see her. And if Karen wants to play this little game ever again, Janis certainly won’t mind. They have all the time in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are fetch ♡


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